I’d like to think that the Tea Party will shatter the Republican party into three parties, moderates, social conservatives & Tea Party. This is a good thing, as it will hopefully open up Federal politics to more than two parties.

Likely, it won’t though. There is a LOT of money in the Republican party, and with money comes corruption & power struggles. If the Tea Party does well, which it will likely not, it will move the party again to the right. If they don’t garner the votes, they will spin out and suppress Republican turnout for another election cycle.

Either way, my gut feeling is that the natural end to this Tea Party is a long ways away…..unfortunately.

bsimon

Once the economy returns to solid ground, which will likely take another couple years, the TEA party will evaporate as an outlet for people’s frustrations.

Steve the Cynic

After the election, it will be revealed that the Tea Party was just a college prank. A couple of drunken frat boys decided to put on tricorn hats and throw teabags at Congress, just to see what kind of wacky nonsense they could get people to go along with. The instigators will then put the whole episode on their resumés and will be hired by one of the largest PR firms in the country.

Nathan

Technology has allowed ordinary people a much greater ability to organize and to communicate on a broad scale. Whether it’s called “Tea Party” or something else, I think we will continue to see more grass-roots activity like that of the Tea Party.

I hope small-gov’t conservatives will speak just as loudly when big-gov’t Republicans are at the wheel. I wish anti-war liberals would speak just as loudly when Democrats, such as we have, are in power. The political-class is less divided than the constituents.

Sue de Nim

Best case scenario: It becomes clear, despite denials by Faux News talking heads, that the Tea Party is not a grass-roots movement at all, but astroturf, being funded mainly by large donors with vested interests in removing government oversight from their business operations. Consequently, there is a backlash by folks who realize they’ve been played for saps, and the whole movement implodes.

Likely scenario: Despite the clear money trails, Tea Party activists, encouraged by Faux News talking heads, remain in denial about the nature of their movement, and American political discourse continues to spiral further down the road to complete inanity.

Shane

In response to “Sue de Nim”, as usuall you provide the typical talking points of the left without backing it up with any real evidence. If you want to see the difference between astroturf and grass-roots just look at the difference in signs people are holding at Tea Party rallies versus Obama related rallies. One group has clearly had their signs handed out to them by some “organizer”, which is why they are all the same. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not the Tea Party. As far as the future of the tea party, since it’s not run by a central organizer it’s impossible to say what it will become in the future.

Joanne

I doubt they are going to be able to make it to election day without self distructing, but if they do, the symptoms of disagreement will take over. There isn’t a clear message within the “movement” and when each faction claims the victory as their own, the well funded tea partiers will oust the more weaker factions. They will be exposed for what they really are, just Republican spoilers banked by some well connected capitalists who really hate liberals. They will eat their own.

James

The way our government has been run since the 1950’s is flawed. Democrats and Republican leaders have sold their soles to the highest bidder to get elected. Citizens of this great nation are really PISSED OFF and they are feed up with the lack of good leaders.

The Tea Party embodies this energy. If the Dems and Reps get their collective but in gear to represent the will of the people the Tea Party has succeeded in its goal. We need bold, honest, wise and decisive leaders.

DTOM

Robert

You have to understand the statistical driver behind electoral politics in general, and the Tea Party in particular: human beings’ median IQ is 100.

In other words, there are more people with a 100 IQ than any other kind of person.

If you think of yourself and your friends as being brighter than that, think of the numbers of people between you and 100. Then add the 50% of the population with IQs lower than 100.

This adds up to a huge number of people who are susceptible to manipulation by billionaire funders like the Koch brothers. It is no surprise to see Tea Partiers advocating for causes that hurt their own interests, like the long-discredited “trickle-down” economic theory…including tax breaks for billionaires!

Al

Are we assumeing the Tea Party believes in evolution?

steve

yes i think it will given the state of politics right now-it gives people another alternative view!

Mary

Who cares. They are all a bunch of nut jobs.

CC&H

Yea Mary! Exactly!

Richard

Mary, go polish your BHO bumper sticker:-)

Richard

Mary & CC&H, go polish your BHO bumper sticker:-)

Lawrence

If the Tea Party can continue to persuade the electorate to stop sacrificing their own personal, individual income for the good and betterment of society, and if the Tea Party continues to defeat Republican candidates, then the Tea Party will become a viable party.

The Tea Party thus far has promoted class warfare (no government spending, especially on social programs for senior citizens, impoverished families, and public schools) by suggesting such programs are unconstitutional, unsustainable, and unintended by the America’s founders. The truth is the constitution doesn’t take a position regarding social programs, leaving that to Congress; reforms would make these programs sustainable, and the founders’ main concern when writing the constitution was ending squabbles amongst themselves, two of them being, interstate trade and a centralized monetary system. Moreover, the Tea Party has confused what the Founders wrote in the Declaration of Independence with the final draft of the U.S, Constitution.

Peggy

“Nut Job” – that is very mature.

Glenn

The Tea Party members basically vote GOP, hold the GOP line of thought very dear, and demonstrate this by ballot.

I don’t see them fracturing the GOP, but energising it. I’m waiting for one to discover the close ties the GOP and DFL have with the military industrial establishment- selling us war and conflict. Then we will see how closely the Tea Party holds it’s integrity!

http://joejo JOEJO

America has seen this before . They will go to the same place the John Birch Society went . Oblivion .

Kyle

It depends on how they do in this election, but having any Tea Party candidates in office will quickly force their message to become more coherent and possibly less extreme, as they are forced to shift from complaining to governing. They will also have to deal with slowly shrinking unemployment and other improvements, evaporating some of the anger that has propelled them so high right now. I think that they will inch toward center, but will ultimately fade into other parties whether they moderate or not.

Gary F

The future of the Tea Party Movement will be decided by the Republican Party. So far, the Tea Party Movement is not a political party as the major players like the Democrats and Republicans are with infrastructure and a hierarchy both at the national, state and local levels.

If the Republican Party does not accept the notion of free markets, limited government, and following the constitution, and go back to their Democratic Lite versions like Bush Sr, Bush Jr, Norm Coleman, and Collins/Snow, then the Tea Party should become their own party and the hell with the Republicans.

This county is at a crossroads and it’s a good thing that a great deal of Americans have finally woke up. Greece, Spain, Portugal are finding out that big government doesn’t work. California and Minnesota are figuring out how to feed the insatiable beast we call government. Heck, even Fidel Castro is finding out it doesn’t work.

Government today is unsustainable without taking away more and more of our freedoms. Personal and economic freedoms is what made this country great. This American exceptionalism is why people come from all over the world to make for themselves a better life.

So, we’ll see where the Tea Party Movement goes. The people trying to knock it down are the people who are too invested in big government whether as a person dependent on the government or the elite power holders.

The Tea Party Movement is getting bigger and bigger. And that is a good thing.

Eric

The “Tea Party” will continue not to evolve, but devolve into an increasingly anti-intellectual, destructive social and political voice. I have seen no evidence of anything but negative impacts of this faux “grass roots” movement. It is not truly grassroots – it is largely the puppet of corporations and ultra-right wing career politicians and lobbyists (as clearly and irrefutably evidenced by their funding lines), and there is no reason to believe that these powerful regressive entities will suddenly become altruistic and unselfish. (BTW, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, I USED to vote Republican, but grew weary of the strident anti-lower and -middle income bent of the “conservative” agenda. The “Tea Party” is simply the latest manifestation of this regressive agenda.)

Let me get this straight, James DTOM. It sounds like you’re saying you want “bold, honest, wise and decisive leaders” who see things exactly as you do and will do exactly as you wish. Isn’t there a disconnect here?

Most of the rhetoric I hear coming from the Tea Party suggests that they want less leadership, and they want what leadership there is to be weaker, so as to leave people more free to do as they please without regard to how it affects the rest of humankind. What am I missing here?

Kevin

Trick question. Conservatives don’t believe in evolution.

Sharon in St. Paul

Let’s get one thing straight, the Tea Party is a creation of the Koch brothers (Flint Hills Resources… oil, dontcha know) who spent their fortune fighting communism and now that the communists are all under rocks, they’re fighting “socialism.” You need, not much, but 2-3 million dollars for the kind of effort the TP is putting out (organizing events and venues, speakers, buses, media tours etc in 50 states, try it sometime). That is peanuts for the Koch boys. The fact that MPR and NPR spend so much air time on the TP without even questioning their shady origins (with the exception of Terri Gross’ Fresh Air) makes me want to gag. These oilmen are the same people who funded the Swift-boaters. Authentic activists and community organizers could see from a mile off that some right-wing engine was at the heart of this “movement.” Let’s get off the subject, ignore them.

Kevin

I see them dividing the Republican party. Their views on one level are similar, but they have enough divisive energy to actually cause many who are in that party to say “WAIT A FRICKIN MOMMENT” and eventually fight back for control.

The Tea Party is only interested in Plutocracy and supporting Plutocrats. Right, well off, and genetically white….

In one sense they are anarchists who feel there should be no government. Or have no idea or scale what government does.

Its the Libertarians in new clothing.

Libertarians have a lot of energy to, but not enough numbers.

On the democrat side it has motivated many to sit and take notice and when that happens their numbers finally show up. The question is if its enough notice in enough time.

They are doing their best to stir up a hornets nest in both Republicans and Democrats.

John

The TEA party will be here until the 2012 election and then the effort will either dissolve or morph into a libertarian party that has about the same influence as the Green party does on the democrats. I do believe that TEA party model and tactics are being watched carefully and will be utilized in different ways in the future.

BTW I hold MPR in high regard and therefore can’t believe listeners/supporters have turned this innovative feature into a trashy message board. Take your insults back to Yahoo or the Star-Trib.

James

A bold, honest, wise and decisive leader would allow the citizens of this Great nation to:

Competent — Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.

Forward-looking — Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.

Inspiring — Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.

Intelligent — Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.

Fair-minded — Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well being of others.

Broad-minded — Seek out diversity.

Courageous — Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.

Straightforward — Use sound judgment to make good decisions at the right time.

Imaginative — Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!

DTOM

Jeff

There are three things the tea party wants: a smaller government, a more responsible government (less federal debt) and more civil liberties without government interference. The general population is tired of both parties essencially ignoring them, some group was bound to show up and give the people a voice and right now that group is the tea party. Currently, the biggest issue is fiscal responsibility, the republicans weren’t responsible with spending and now the democrats are even worse; there had to be some sort of change.

Steve the Cynic

I don’t see the Tea Party evolving at all. I see it devolving.

Greg D’roseville

The tea -party won’t change. The GOP. though is going to start showing some stress-cracks when their old-line “deal-brokers” don’t get into office – and their constituents payback for millions/billions in campaign pay-ola don’t deliver the political ROI. Cue the tap-dancers. Everyone …. ah-one, ah-three, ah-two … wait wait wait …

Joan

The Tea Party will force us to socialism. It’s older people on Social Security and Medicare who found out those two programs are 130 trlllion dollars in debt. They saw Obama take 500 billion dollars out of Medicare to fund Obamacare, so they want to get the Republicans elected to repeal Obamacare and get that 500 billion dollars put back into Medicare. I talk to Tea Party people in chatboards and they are primarily concerned with ending all other federal spending in order to fund their Social Security and Medicare. They would close colleges, end the Dept. of Education, end welfare, food stamps, everything else except military spending, and their intention is to use the savings to put into Social Security and Medicare.

When they find out they won’t be able to get rid of everyone else in order to fund their entitlements, when neither party deports the illegals for them, and the illegals are given an amnesty instead, and when their Republicans try to end Social Security and Medicare, they will demand a value added tax to keep those two programs. They are, in fact, the socialists. They’re lying they don’t want socialized health care, but don’t touch their Medicare. They will force us to a VAT to fund the 130 trillion dollars of unfunded liabilities in SS and Medicare, then they will finally shut up and go away, IMO.

Steve the Cynic

Clever bit of satire, Joan!

http://Http://www.chooseusfirst-theelection.com Paul Gale

I am beginning to see the Tea Party fall apart at the seams. They should get it back together for the upcoming elections.

Marco

I am 66. I have a wonderful 4 year old child. I guess I beat the odds?